New Orleans College Prep seeks federal grant for after-school programs

The board of directors of New Orleans College Preparatory Academies met briefly March 22 to pass a resolution to apply for federal grant known as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant.

Funded through the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the state of Louisiana the grant would fund after-school academic and extracurricular programs at the New Orleans College Preparatory Academies campuses. The programs could also be available on weekends and during the summers.

The charter organization operates Sylvanie Williams College Preparatory Elementary and Cohen College Prep Middle and High schools.

Founder and CEO Ben Kleban said that in the past the grants were given to nonprofits such as New Orleans Outreach. But the federal program has recently shifted to providing funding directly to schools.

NOCP will now submit the grant application to the Louisiana Department of Education. If approved, the grant will fund learning centers at the school for three years. Up to $800,000 is available per year per applicant.